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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

PRESENTED BY 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 









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Greenfield was formed from Saratoga and 
Milton March 12, 1793. It contains 43.710 
acres of land, and its assessed valuation in 1S75 
was 13+4,244; and is embraced in the Kaya- 
derosseras jiatent, granted October 6, 1704. 
Among the farly settlers may be mentioned 
the names of William Scott, Nathaniel Sey- 
mour, John Pettitt, Dan Croukhite, Aaron 
Hale, Nathaniel Daniels, Israel Williams, Ste- 
phen Com.stack, John St. John, John and Eli- 
jah Smith, James Dunning, Jeremiah Wescott, 
Walter Hewitt, Prince Wing, Noah Weed, 
Lewis Graves, Jbilihu and Paul Anthony, Am- 
brose Cole, Nathan Medbury, .A.bner Williams, 
Charles Deake, Israel Young, Gershoni More- 
house, John Prior, Salmon Chikls, Daniel Scott, 
Isaac Keynold.s, Philip Allen, Joel Reynolds, ; 
Benjamin Worden, Jonathan De.uel, Asahel 
Porter, Adam Bookes, Ephraim Bullock, Giles 
Fitch, Joseph Hawley, Fredrick Weed, John 
Harris, Ezeldel Harris, and Robert Early ; 
nearly all of whom died in the town. The last 
two survivors were Elihu Anthony and Dan 
Croukhite, Anthony dying April 23, and Crouk- 
hite April 2.5, 18G3, their united agfes being 190 
years ; each having resided in the town over 70 
years. 

The first town meeting was held at a log 
house near King's station, on the Adirondack 
] railroad, April 1, 1794 ; at which William Scott 
was elected the first supervisor, and the follow- 
ing laws were jjassed : 

Voted, that the constables shall give bonds 
for the faithful performance of their office. 

Voted, that the pathmasters shall return 
their warrants ten days before the next annual 
town meeting. 

Voted, that hogs that run on the common 
shall be yoked in the following manner : The 
yoke to be the width of the neck above the 
neck and half the width below, and the cross 
piece twice the thickness of the neck. 

At a town meeting held April 7, 1795, the 
following acts were passed : . 

Voted, that fences four feet uud a half high, 
and well built, shall be a lawful fence. 

Voted, that the fence viewers shall have six 
shillings per day when called to do duty in 
their office. 

Voted, that the law respecting hogs shall be 
the same as it was the year past. 

Voted, that the following men serve in the 
office set to their respective names : 
Zeuas Winsor, town clerk. 
John St. John, supervisor. 
Prince Wing, Jonathan Deuel, Charles Deek, 
juu., commissioners of highways. 



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Jonathan Wood, Lewis Graves, Jonathan 
Deuel, James Dunning, John Prior, assessors. 
Eufus Price, Ezra Abbott, poormasters. 
Daniel Soott, Jonathan Deykinau, constables 
and collectors. 

Joseph Deuel, James Dunning, Benjamin In- 
graham, fence viewers. 

Israel Rose, Walter Hewet, Benjamin Grea-. 
nold, Eseck Whipple, poundmasters. 

John St. John, Abel Deuel, Benjamin Wor- 
den, Lewis Graves, Doe Tiffany, Aaahel Porter, 
Joel Eeynolds. given recognizance fgr keeping 
taverns, March 1, IT'JG. 

The first commissioners of highways, 179-t, 
were Jonathan Wood, Joseph Denison, Samuel 
Bailey. The first record of roads laid out by 
them ia dated May 2, 1794. 

The first religious society was The First Con- 
gregational church, organized 1790, with sixty- 
eight signatures ; first church erected 1793, re- 
moved to present site in 1832. The first pastor 
was Eev. Elias Gilbert ; present pastor, Eev. 
Z. T. Hoyt since 1855. Universaliat church at 
Porter's Corners, and Baptist church at Green- 
field Centre, 1816 ; first pastor at the Centre 

was Eev. Blakeman. It is said of the i 

carpenters who worked on the two last named I 
churches, but two would go upon the scaffold 
to shingle the steeples, Morris T. Carpenterjand 
Ebenezer Darrow. The next church built was 
the Second Baptist Church, 1836 ; next, the 
Baptist church at Middlegrove, 1838, with Eev. 
J. Goadby as the first pastor ; next, the Metho- 
dist Episcopal (jhurch at Greenfield Centre, 
1810, Eev. David Poor first pastor ; and Meth- 
odist Episcopal church at [Porters Corners, in 
1845, J. D- Buruham first pastor. Sixteen 
young men who were either born here or resi- 
ded here in their early years, have entered the 
ministry. 

Greenfield contains 22 district sohoolhouaes. 
Eminent members of the bench and bar of this 
and other states, also successful merchants and 
physicians, can point to Greenfield as their na- 
tive town. The first gristmill in town was 
built by Gershom Morehouse at Middlegrove ; 
the first machine for wool carding by Israel 
Young, at the same place ; the first sawmill was 
built by Benjamin Clinch, near Porter's Cor- 
ners, he having also kept the first store at that 
place ; the first apple trees are said to have 
been planted by William Scott on the farm 
now owned by Samuel Bailey ; the oldest deeds 
or leases are dated 1786 ; the oldest person now 
living in town is Mrs. Lydia Medbury, who is 
in her ninety-fifth year. 

Population of the town in the year; 1800 was 
3,073, in 1810 3,087, attaining its highest num- 
ber (3,298) in 1825 ; in 1875 it was 2,G92. being 
lower than any preceding. There have been 35 
dift'erent persons elected to the office of super- 
visor in 83 years— Asahel Porter, Jonathan Lap- 
ham, and Edwin C. Weed, five years each, (A. 
Porter chairman in 1801); Salmon Child, John 
Pettitt, and Nehemiah Wing, four years each ; 
John St. John, Adam Bockes, F. J. Wing, 
Freeman Tourtelott, H. G. Sweeney, and War- 
ren Dake, three years each ; William Scott, Asa 
C. Barney, John Prior, Samuel McCrea, Charles 
Deake, Henry Miller, Levi Smith, B. F. Prior, 
Lewis Wood, A. C. Allard, Alonzo Euaaell, I. 
G. Johnson, De Witt C. Hoyt, Warren Bockes, 
and J. v. Smith, served two years each ; Elihu 
Wing, Joseph Wood, Chester Foote, Calvin W. 
Dake, Oscar Granger, H. S. Freeman, and John 
H. Smith, one year each ; J. L. Eowland, pre- 
sent incumbent. Present justices of the peace, 
C. S. Latham, Theodore Comstook, B. S. Rob- 
inson, and Starks Dake, all under forty years of 
age- Mr. Dake being the youngest man ever 



elected to that office in town. Au item of in- 
terest conueoted with town officers is the fact 
that Dau Cronkhite voted at 70 consecutive 
town meetings. A very sad accident occurred 
in town September, 1812, Martin Blackmar be- 
ing a'ccidnetally shot by William Williams while 
hunting bears in a cornfield. The Adirondack 
railroad crosses the town, having two stations. 
South Greenfield and King's. There are five 
post-offices, Greenfield Centre, North Green- 
field, South Greenfield, Porter's Corners, and 
Middlegrove. 

In the eastern part of the town is a ledge of 
rocks in one of which is a large cavity, smooth 
as an earthen dish, which, tradition says, was 
used by the Indians for pounding corn in ; and 
an early settler in that locality has affirmed, as 
a fact, that it had been vised for the same pur- 
pose by white settlers. 

A number of societies exist in town— St. 
John's Lodge number 22. Free and Accepted 
Masons, organized in 1802 ; first presiding offi- 
cer was John St. John ; present presiding offi- 
cer, E. A. Rood, has 75 members. Greenfield 
Centre Lodge, Independent Order Odd Fel- 
lows, number 3()s ; first presiding officer was 
C. W. Mosher; piesent incumbent C. Brigham; 
was organized 1872, and has a membership of 
80. Kayaderosseras Tent number 69, Kecha- 
bites, organized 1876, membership 20 ; first 
presiding officer, H. C. Hewitt ; present officer, 
J. D. Plummer. Empire Lodge number '.165, 
Independent Order Good Templars, instituted 
1870; first W. C. T., Lewis S. Mills, who is 
the present incumbent ; number of members 
108. Greenfield Total Abstinence society, | 
which this day commemorates, was organized 
April 1, 1809, at this place. First president. 
Rev. Elias Gilbert; present incumbent, H. C. 
Hewitt. Greenfield claims the honor of having 
the oldest temperance society that has main 
tained an unbroken organization from its com- 
mencement to the present time. Many other 
items of interest might be added, but time for- 
bids. Hoping this very brief history has not 
been wearisome, I now close this centennial 
sketch of the town of Greenfield. 



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